Potential Therapy of Age-Related Macular Degeneration With Small Molecules

This project is looking for a small molecule that can penetrate the eye and diminish the eye inflammation that occurs in AMD. If successful, this small molecule can be administered at the earlier stages of AMD to halt progression to the later stages and eventual blindness. To identify such a molecule, we will screen a small molecule library and confirm its efficacy in a test tube before moving onto animal models.

Current treatments for AMD do not restore vision. In wet AMD, treatment is directed at the terminal stages, making it impossible to return vision to 20/20. For the dry type, the only treatment is a special vitamin preparation that is only effective in slowing the progression of AMD in some people. The researchers are investigating a small molecule that can penetrate the eye and diminish the eye inflammation that occurs in AMD. If successful, this small molecule could be administered in the earlier stages of AMD to halt disease progression and prevent blindness. They will identify such a molecule by screening a small molecule library and then will confirm its efficacy in a test tube before moving on to animal models.